Routine

Everyone tells you that putting your baby on a routine and sticking with it is one of the best things you can do for the development of your baby and for your own sanity. Many people have told me how to "break" you in Claire and get you to stick to a timetable. Well, my sweet little angel, you have developed your own routine without any coaching from me and it's made all the difference throughout our day! Ready to hear your routine? .... You eat, play, sleep. Eat, play, sleep. All day long. We don't follow a time schedule, I just let you decide when you're ready for the next activity. You eat about every 3 hours. After you eat, we play for a while: reading books, going on walks, you help me clean the house by going room to room, and you now love playing with your toys. When you start fussing and it's not a change of scenery you want, we both know it's nap time. I swaddle you good and tight, walk around with you to settle you down, and lay you in your crib with your binkie in your mouth. You are such an easy baby!

Night time is even easier! You know how some people will rock their babies for hours and hours until they fall asleep only to bump them when trying to transfer them to their crib and they wake up screaming and the parent has to start the process all over again? Well not you my sweets. I don't even have to swaddle you or even walk around. We put you in jammies, read you a story, have family prayer and scripture study and lay you down for bed. We turn your butterfly mobile and leave the room letting you put yourself to sleep. Works like a charm every night. You sleep for eight or nine hours until about 6 or 6:30, I feed you, and then you go back to bed until about ten. You are such an easy and good baby! We are so lucky to have you!